


commandOverride();

by The_Eldritch_IT_Gay



Series: Flesh, Circuit, and Bone [5]
Category: Outland Industries
Genre: Gen, Mistakes were made, Reckless Behavior
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-30
Updated: 2016-04-30
Packaged: 2018-06-05 08:32:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6697498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Eldritch_IT_Gay/pseuds/The_Eldritch_IT_Gay
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Remind me why you need another grant?” He sighed.</p><p>I fidgeted for a moment, then put my tablet with my research on his desk. He eyed it disinterestedly.</p><p>"The project is going well. The program is working for the most part, and I have a few prototypes for the flesh and sensors. I’m conducting more of the brain scans shortly. Those shoul-"</p><p>“I am aware of the project I assigned you, I fail to see why you need more money to complete the project.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	commandOverride();

“Remind me why you need another grant?” He sighed.

I fidgeted for a moment, then put my tablet with my research on his desk. He eyed it disinterestedly.

"The project is going well. The program is working for the most part, and I have a few prototypes for the flesh and sensors. I’m conducting more of the brain scans shortly. Those shoul-"

“I am aware of the project I assigned you, I _fail_ to see why you need more money to complete the project.”

I bit my lip anxiously before signing, "If I get this program running, and can get some more in depth features in it. I think it could be used for more than the original plan."

“Explain.” He sighed, leaning forward to look at the research.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves before explaining. *If I could use the scans to figure out how certain stimulus provokes certain reactions and relays certain signals to the brain- I could make the program simulate pain and feeling based on stimulus from the sensors. If I can figure out that, I could try and make a prosthetic that responds to touch and stimulates parts of the brain so it responds like a real limb.*

“That would require wiring the recipient's brain.”

"Yes, and if-"

“This isn’t what I hired you to do.” He interrupted, closing the research and leaning back in his chair.

"I’m well aware sir, but this is only a small change to the plan. You will still get the program and system you wanted, but this way I can create something that will greatly benefit those in need of medical augments. If I manage to do this it could change what we can augment in humans-"

“You want to rewire their brain and-”

"Yes, as I was saying," I continued, unperturbed, "If I could manage to wire the person’s brain enough to alway a program stimulate the neurons, that opens up a whole new area of what can be _cured._ If I could  reprogram and program how the brain responds to stimulus, I mean imagine the possibilities! Not only could amputees get feeling in their prosthetics, it could help with mental illness. People with crippling OCD; a simple program could stop their brain from using its problem pathways. I mean, think of what this could do for nerve damage-"

“Mx. Ciaran.” He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"nerve damage could be seemingly reversed! Not to mention that people with paralysis could regain full feeling and control of their limbs. Just think of how much could be done with-”

“ _Ms._ Ciaran.”

"I’ve already done all the research. I’ve written a 368 paper explaining what I plan to do as well as summarizing all the papers I read while planning it. In my workstation I have a file full of all the preliminary sketches. as well as the more refined sketches and blueprints. I’ve already calculated the costs and resources I would need. I already have an estimated figure of the money that could be earned from selling the final product and-”

“ _Miss Ciaran!_ ”

“w..what?” My face flushed slightly, fidgeting again, realizing I might be rambling and oversharing.

“How exactly do you plan on testing prototype rewiring of brains? You want to bring in a human test subject that could end up with irreversible brain damage at best?”

I waited for a moment, pulling the frayed edges of my work shirt. I was suddenly aware of the irritating sensation of the fabric rubbing against my skin.

"I mean, yes, but-"

“Do you realize how much it would cost if the test subject was injured? Are you completely _stupid_ ? You, and my company, would be held _completely_ liable for all of the damages.” The irritation was clear in his voice, the aggression making me tense.

"I- Um… I- No one but the parties involved get hurt them. I- I’ll be the test-"

“You are not a _human_ ”

The words stung like a slap to the face, eyes watering as I struggled to hold back tears.

"Sir..."

“You might be the leading expert in cybernetics, Ms. Ciaran, but you are _a bot._ I did not hire you to make more of your kind. Your project is to design a program that will benefit the plugins, not spread your _disease_. Are we clear on this?”

"I see, sir…" I picked up my tablet, pretending to be preoccupied with something on it to keep from crying.

“I don’t want your personal problems and emotions affecting this problem. I do not want politics interfering with this. If you continue like this, I will give the project so someone _unbiased._ ”

I held back comment, struggling to hide my own irritation and tears. I never let politics interfere with my work. People liked my work because I was always unbiased. I sure as hell didn’t stand with the robophobes, but I didn’t stand with the probots either. Each side has good points, but I wasn’t about to get caught in the crossfire. But of course, I’m a _bot._ Anything I do regarding advancements in cybernetics, and naturalists feel like it’s a personalized attack on them.

"Thank you for your time, sir." I forced a smile, turning to walk out of the room.

“If you want to keep your job _Miss_ Ciaran, I suggest you stop trying to force your own agenda onto projects. I didn’t pay for you to care about bot lives.”

"I guess you don’t care about people. Funny you call me a bot. Since you’re the one without a heart..." The voice spoke what I signed quietly, mimicking a mutter.

When I heard my own words, my whole body tensed. Crap crap crap crap, no. ctrl Z, undo, terminate process, force quit.

“What did you just say?” He shot up from his desk.

"Nothing."  Please just let me leave, please just let me leave, please just-

He stormed over to me, grabbing my shoulder and yanking me around to face him. I jumped at the contact, breath hitching in my throat, panic setting in.

“ _What. Did. You. Say?”_

"I said," I swallowed nervously, "It’s funny you call me a bot, since you’re the one without a heart."

I expected him to go for the face, I closed my eyes to brace myself. What I didn’t expect was his fist knocking the wind out of me and he punch my stomach. At least, he probably aimed for the stomach, he hit me right at the bottom of my ribcage. There was a sickening crack, intense pain that shooting through me. I doubled over, falling to my knees. Alerts flooded the screen of my eyepiece, system trying to survey the damage. I dismissed the alerts, eyes screwing shut as I hugged my chest.

“If you want to stay on this project, you better shut your goddamn mouth. You are nothing more than a _filthy bot_ , and if you step out of line again, losing your job is the _least_ of your worries. Now _get out of my sight_.”

Standing up shakily, I avoided his eyes.

"Thank you for your time sir."

I walked out of the room slowly, clutching my side, holding back tears from the pain and his words. The secretary glanced at me as I limped out of the office. The second her eyes met mine, she hurriedly went back to work. Sighing, I exited the office into the nondescript hallway. When a worker saw me, they froze, turning around and walking away from me quickly. For once, I was glad, relieved to get to walk back to my building alone. I didn’t want anyone to see me cry.

It's the people- I decided- not the androids. People are the ones programmed not to care.

\---

My vision was blurred with tears as I made my way back to my workstation. Nearly everyone in the building had gone home already, the building dark. I didn’t have to worry about running into anyone, even if they saw me, few actually would care. The only sounds while I navigated the hallways was the rhythmic clicking of my prosthetics on the floor. I managed to keep myself together while I unlocked the door to my workstation. The second the door closed behind me, the little control I had shattered. My knees shook, breath coming in shuddering gasps, tears streaming down my face. If anyone was in the building, they would have heard the echos of my pained cries.

I barely made it to the couch before my knees buckled. Curling up, hugging my knees, I tried to stop sobbing. My augment offered to administer a dose of Alprazolam, I ignored it.  I was determined to calm down on my own this time.  I lost track of time while I laid there, the only sound was my broken cries. Eventually, no more tears came. I sat up, sniffling, and turned on my holoscreen on the table. Signing in, I connected to the computer to my headpiece, uploading my daily log.

Pulling up the chart of my chem log, my heart fell, tears threatening to spill again. The graph spiked high above the average, chemical levels off the chart. Windows started popping up, displaying the gut-wrenching statistics. My breath caught in my throat, body freezing as I tried to process it all.

An alert popped up.

_Government mandate requires that medical officials be sent a copy of any log showing extremely dangerous symptoms, as these symptoms indicate a severe health issue. Medical staff will be alerted shortly._

My limbs unfroze as I scrambled to open a terminal, frantically typing in code. If they found out about my health, I wouldn’t be allowed to keep my job. They’d want to keep my in the hospital for the rest of my life. I couldn’t do that. _I couldn’t do that._

_…_

_File could not be found. Try again? Y/N_

I breathed a sigh of relief, closing the alerts. Closing the log, I dragged it to the trash, deleting it. Leaning back into the couch, I started tearing up. Some days, it gave the option to alert medical staff, on my bad days. My bad days however, were getting more and more frequent. But it had never been so bad that I didn’t have the option. I knew my health would get worse, I just hadn’t planned on it happening so quickly. This wasn't supposed to happen.

Tears running down my cheeks, I looked over to my tablet. It was full of my rejected research; It held the plans for a fully augmented nervous system. My sketchbook on the floor open, showing all the sketches of designs and plans I had made.  The project was my only hope, my friends only hope. Without the grant or resources, all of my plans are useless. And without the project, I’d only have a short time to live. Unless...

Sitting quietly for a second, I tried to talk myself out of the idea. I pulled up the Android Repair and Prototyper handbook on my eyepiece. Scanning through the rules, I looked to see how bad this plan was.

_If anyone is caught stealing materials from the workplace, they will be fired immediately. Further punishment will be decided at a hearing...._

_....All projects must be approved by an overseer…._

_...Company materials and machines must only be used for projects approved by the overseer. Using company materials and machines on a personal project will result temporary* dock in pay, and will be put on permanent record…._

_...Safety is our main concern. Projects should not expose employee, test subject, or consumer to any unnecessary risks. Doing so will result in immediate termination, legal action, and possible psych evaluation…_

So it was definitely illegal... I weighed the consequences. If I were to get found out- which was going to happen- I’ll at _least_ be fired. Plus I would definitely be either arrested or institutionalized. My whole livelihood would be ruined. If I got caught before I finished the project, all of my work would go to waste. But, my livelihood and life will be lost if I _don’t_ do this.

*It doesn’t matter. I’m dying either way. This way, I have a chance to live.*

 _Giving my life for a reason to live… how ironic…_ I laughed quietly. _It’s not just about me anymore though, I’m giving my life so others have a reason to live, so others can live. This way, my life is worth something. I can give my life- however short it might be. I can give my heart- even though every beat may be it’s last. I can give my time- even though any day might be my last. I can give my whole self, to give others life, to leave a legacy._

A message appeared on my eyepiece, pulling me from my thoughts.

_**Trippy:** You’re planning coming home tonight, right? _

_We won’t hesitate to come over there and drag you home._

_**Maddoc:** Don’t make us come over there. I will f i g h t _

_**Aeneas:** I’d kinda prefer not to break into your building again. _

 

I laughed again, shooting back a reply.

_**Ciar:** Yeah, I’m just finishing up. _

_..._

_Had a long day._

_**Trippy:** What’s up? _

I paused. I should tell them. They all deserve to know, about it all- what happened, my health, what I plan to do…

No, they’d just try to talk me out of it. They’d never let me do it, especially if they knew about my health. If they knew about my plan, they could get in trouble. I’m not going to drag them down with me.

_**Ciar:** Nothing. It’s fine. I’ll be home soon. _

Standing up, I had my augment release a small dose of morphine. Pulling on my hoodie and grabbing my bag, I just hoped they wouldn’t notice or ask.

I knew I couldn’t lie to their face.


End file.
